وَعَدَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَأَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ · وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ وَكَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَآ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْجَحِيمِ
Waʿada'llāhu'lladhīna āmanū wa ʿamilu'ṣ-ṣāliḥāti lahum maghfiratun wa ajrun ʿaẓīm · Wa'lladhīna kafarū wa kadhdhabū bi-āyātinā ulāʾika aṣḥābu'l-jaḥīm
"God has promised those who believe and do good works: for them there is forgiveness and a great reward. And those who disbelieve and cry lies to Our signs are the people of the Blaze."
A long block of rulings (1-8) closes here with two short verses. This is a structure that recurs in the Qurʾān's sections of ruling: the regulations are set out, then the end of the two parties is briefly named, and the block closes.
| 5/9 | 5/10 | |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | Waʿada'llāh — there is a promise | No promise |
| Structure | A verbal sentence, the subject God | A nominal sentence, pointed to with ulāʾika |
| Outcome | Maghfiratun wa ajrun ʿaẓīm | Aṣḥābu'l-jaḥīm |
On the side of good it says "God has promised"; on the side of evil no such verb is used — the outcome is laid down as a statement of fact. This distinction is widespread in the Qurʾān: the word "promise" is kept for the side of mercy.
أَصْحَٰب — root ص-ح-ب: companionship, being together, accompanying something. Ṣāḥib — a travelling companion. The construction aṣḥābu'l-jaḥīm means, in the full sense of the word, "the companions of the Blaze" — not those imprisoned in a place but those who keep it company.
جَحِيم — root ج-ح-م: a fire's blazing up fiercely, embers glowing red. Jaḥīm — a fire whose flame has risen, a scorching fire. The word occurred in al-Takāthur and al-Shuʿarāʾ.